LB Isaiah Moore Finds Comfort in Role with Wolfpack
Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Moore enters the season opener against East Carolina as the team’s starting middle linebacker. With the first game of the 2019 campaign days away, he’s confident in the team’s chemistry, especially within his position group.
“We’re clicking a little more,” Moore said. “Over the summer and through our workouts in the spring we built a lot of chemistry. I think that’s shone through fall camp and the practices leading up to this week.
Other players that have stood out in the group include the fresh faces in freshman Drake Thomas and redshirt freshmen C.J. Hart and Payton Wilson. Like his fellow teammates, Moore is pleased with their progress and is ready to show what they have to offer on gameday.
“They love to come to work everyday,” Moore said. “They love to compete everyday. They’re willing learners. They love football, and I think they’re all going to help us down the road.”
However, the name that will likely be directly attached with Moore is his counterpart on the weak side, junior linebacker Louis Acceus. This tandem should continue the Wolfpack’s success in stopping opposing offenses, and Moore’s bond with Acceus will be paramount for the defense to set that dominant tone.
“That’s my brother,” Moore said. “We came in together, attended class, and competed for a spot against each other. We played with each other last year, and now we play beside each other this year. I love him to death. I have a lot of respect for him, and I know we’ll feed off each other really well.”
The linebacker corps’ consistency can ultimately been attributed to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Dave Huxtable. His skillset in grooming this group is what has given NC State its supremacy in that realm and is what helped Germaine Pratt draw the eyes of several NFL scouts, including the Cincinnati Bengals who drafted him earlier this year. Moore’s relationship with Huxtable has been invaluable as Moore looks to continue his development with the Pack.
“I love [Huxtable] to death,” Moore said. “He recruited me out of Virginia. He was the only Power Five guy to give me a chance. He’s been hard on me since the day I got here, and he’s just made me a better player. I have the utmost faith in him, and I know he has the utmost faith in me.”
One could argue that one of the biggest concerns heading into the East Carolina is the team could fall into complacency while facing a program that it had blown out the season before. However, Moore quashed that kind of feeling, as this Pack squad is ready for the challenge.
“Just because we played them last year or played the same coach last year doesn’t mean we’re going to take these guys lightly,” Moore said. “We’re going to treat them the same. They’re a very valuable opponent. I think they’re a great team, and it’s going to be a great game on Saturday.”
All that’s left to do is take to Carter-Finley Stadium and put it all on the field for the State fans. Moore is ready to take it in and play to the best of his ability. Whatever comes from that, Moore will take it in stride.
“I’m just going to take it one week at a time, one day at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time,” Moore said. “Wherever I’m at at the end of the year, I’ll accept it because I’ll have earned it."